Hose clamp



July 4, 1944 c. w. PRocHAsKA HOSE' CLAMP Filed April 18, 1942 I llll\\\\\ v inthe hosei mFigureZ is a Patented July 4, 1944 .UNTEQl/STTB Carroll W.

imputation sin 1s. massaal Na. 43amy 'f 'I'he present invention relates to a clamping device and more particularly to .a clamping unit' adapted'to apply an embracingV pressure to a hose'or the like.

1 MY- Patent 2,218,481 Ydiscloses a. hose clamp comprising a strap or other elongated gripping member in combination with a. i'rictional holding 'and tensioning means acting adjacent the strap extremities for drawing the strap grippingly "about the embracing member.- 'In accordance with the aforesaid patent, this strap is reversely -drawn about a gripping surface whereas theopposed portion is provided with a coacting gripping 'member preferably in theform-of a somewhat yieldable metallic padadapted'toadvance thereacross `for tightening thev clamp and amxing the lreversely extending portion to the tensioning instrumentality.v

It is an object of the present invention to improve upon `the above structure'by providingV a clamp of the foregoing general characteristics which is 'adapted to facilitatetensioning of the i, hose'or other member to be tensioned uniformly throughout .its y'circumference or periphery and a to this end there is provided a construction which facilitatesadvancement ofthe strap bythe `ten-- sioningl means ina novel and effective manner. AAmong other objects of the invention are coni templated the provision of a device asgabove wherein .the strap,Y is in the vicinity 'of Vthe tensioning means relieved substantially of frictional engagement with housing portions thereof and thus adapted as above to facilitate application of clamping stress; to provide a hose clamp adapted v to continue and maintain the'clamping stresses l in the space betweenthe strap extremities and where they loin the tensioning instrumentality, thus preventing formation of a channel or wrinkle To provide-a structure such as the foregoing wherein the tendency of the housing to `tilt about wa predetermined point Vresults in increased tensionofthatextremity ofthe band which is tlxed with respect to the housing; and to provide an improved housing Vconstruction whereby the total weight of thev housing' unit isisubstantially decreased without sacrifice of any of its structural characteristics.l 'a

Other and further objects will ybe apparent from a consideration of the drawing wherein vention. n

sectional view taken centrally through' the device of Figure 1 and illustrating n inoperative position upon hose assembly. Figure Sissa detail showing the tensioning instrumentality just prior vto ilnalapplication of clamplnslllesulf. Figures lto 3.0i thegdrawing show one detailed illustrative embodiment comprising a'hose clamp i having a strapv Il anda tensioning unit l2. The

strap' III comprises an elongated b and'o'f ilexible, preferablysomewhat lresilient lmaterial such as steel having uniformlatera; width and capame when tensioned of being forcefully drawn about a' hose such as' that indicated bythe reference numeral, M in Figure 2. Interiorly of `the hose Il! is disposed'a tubular member i8 which, for

i illustrative purposes, may comprise ia section of pipe about which the hose is to be clamped.' k

A and 22. 'I'he rearward extremities of the'vertical `by is apertured and threaded to receivethe shank Theclamping or tensioning unit I2 comprises a housing orV frame havingpposite side walls VI8 extending upwardly .in the' iigures and joined across the bottom b y spaced wall sections' 20 wall` sections II are 'folded over as at 24 and 26, being overlapped and preferably secured together as by spot welding so as to constitute a relatively thick` vertical wall. Thedouble wall formed there- '2d orfastener or screw 30. 'In the present embodiment, the screwv headis of the wing type as indicatedI at 32, although it will be evident that any desired form ofV head may be utilized. An

. aperture Il' is provided for wiring or otherwise lockingvthev fastener against relative rotation.4V

The opposite extremity of thev shank 28 is provided with 'a portion Il Vof reduced diameter bearing a thrust washer 3B and adapted to acy commodate a gripping or, abutment member 40 in the f orm o f va pad or metallic unit comprising a plurality of folds or layershof the material of theband Ill. While this construction is disclosed and claimed vmore particularly in my aforesaid patent, for purposes of completeness, attention yis directed tothe fact that one extremity of the band isfolded over aplurality of times to provide a substantially rectangular unit having some inherent yieldability'by virtue of its structure.

i Figure l isa perspective view of, a hose'clamp I constructed in accordance with the present ln- Thisabutment pad o rjunit is' apertured and re' ceived upon the projection 34 which latter is pref- Y erably headed over as at 42. Thus, the band is permanently mounted tothe extremity of the screw shank in sucha manner that the latteris adapted to rotate therein.

Referring now morepartlcularly to the construction of the lower portion of the frame unit, it

will be seen'that the wall section 20 provides in effect a gripping or holding surface opposed to the lower marginal portion of the a'butment unit 48 and across which the latter moves in its progress forwardly upon actuation ofthe screw. Itis particularly important to .note that the screw is preferably disposed upon an axis inclined slightly with respect to the holding or strapreceiving section 20. Accordingly, therefore, the yieldable'pad or abutment member l tends to approach the upper surface of the wall -'as thescrew isadvanced to tension ,the strap. The tilted screw 28 carrying the abutment l0 combined withxthe hori- Zontal wall 20, which wall is upwardly tilted by the action of the band I0 on the portion 22-of the wall, insures a constantly increasing` tension of the band. Thus. when the opposite extremity of the -device duringvtightening is such as to tendv :the pad l0 is disposed radially .outwardly of the ,portion I6 in accordance with vthe structuredisn closed. Accordingly, therefore, the wall section the band is passed reversely about the wall sec'- tion 20 as shown in the figures, and morespecincally through the relatively narrow slot or aperture 4I between the wall sections 2liv and Y22, the

section residing above the holding surface is adapted to receive the grippingrorabutment.member 40 on its upper surface. In other'words, lthe outwardly yextending, section .I8 ofthe 'strap is disposed between the holding. section 20 and the path of the gripping ymember 40. The wall section 22 forms ar hoseengaging seat terminating at its right-hand margin as viewed in 'the figures at a point spacedsubstantially inwardly from the wall sections 24, and'28. Thev right-hand'or rearward extremity, that is, the heel ofthe housing is cut away or relieved as at' l2 substantially at the .line of vjunction'oifrthe vertical and horizontal walls of the housing, to providean opening through which the band IU passes as clearly shown in Figures 2 .and 3.' More specifically, `the band passes .above both the wall sections 2U and 22 as the fastener is advanced Vand enters 'the `housingat va point 'above the plane of both of these wall sections.

In use, it is important to note that the h ousing of the tensioning section is placed upon a preferably resilient hose atany selected point and the band wrapped snugly therearound being passed through the slot Il vand thence reversely about the upper surface of the wall section 2U as shown in Figure 3. The screw is now actuated to advance the shank forwardly from the position shown in Figure 3 luntil it gradually reaches and, if necessary, passes beyond the position shown in Figure 2. It is to be particularly noted that advancement of the screw shank and accordingly the attached extremity of the'band results in urging this portion of the band to the left and above the section $6 forming the opposite extremity of the band. Thus, not only does the yieldable abutment ride marginally along the surface of the section 45, but it prevents release of this section and holds Yit specifically in the position shown with'respect to vthe housing. In the meanwhile, the material of the Iband being taken up by the foregoing action shortens its circumferential dimension, thus applying any desired tension.

Attention is specifically directed to the fact that there is little or no impediment to advancement of the strap extremity through the housing since there is no appreciable frictlonal contact Vbetween the frame or housing i2 and the relatively shiftable portions of the band. In other words. since the housing is cut away or relieved adjacent its heel portion, there is provided an aperture freely accommodating the strap in its path of movement.

It is cuite significant to note that the action of Athe .possibility vof failure atthis point.

v-22 is urged strongly against the surface ofthe Ihose. 'Since this wall section occupies the space between the operative extremities of the band,

and since the resultant gripping forces are concentrated at this point, the wallrsecti'on 22 tends to prevent `crimping of the ilexible vhose such as may vnormally occur in V.the case vof many hose vclamps .with which IV am familiar. In short, whereas fthe bight between vthe operative extremities of many hose clamps normally formsgthe location for an. accumulationof :material ad- ,-vanced by. tensional grippage tending toiinpart a-fold or channel andpermit'ting vappreciable relief .of pressure, vthe `present invention eliminates Thus, under substantial pressure, the wall section -22 .is

vurged forciblytowardth'e materialv of the..hose

and seats thereagainst causing vthe hose material to yield-at this point.y

It .has been further observed that the tensioning of the band resultsin a correspondingtendency of the housing to creep Vslightlyto the right as viewed in the figures, to more uniformly distribute the tensioning of the band. This effect is somewhat resisted by the interassociationof the wall section 22 with the yieldable material voi' .the hose, whereby the shifting of vthe housing is limited to a, predetermined degree sumcient to tension the relatively fixed extremity ofthe band somewhat but not to substantially dislocate the frame or housing from its original position. 4 In other words, the present Vconstruction assures tensioning'the band in a predetermined relative degree from each extremity thereof.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that application of increasedVv clamping stress urges the wall section 22 increasingly against the yieldable material of the hose whereby the section and particularly the'V right-hand portion thereof asgused in the figures forms a seat supporting the housing against the tensioning force which forces it' readily inwardly. While for purposes of clearly disclosing the structure this feature has not'been shown to its fullest extent, it is thought it will be readily appreciated from the foregoing.V Thus as the housing is increasingly urged against the material of the hose it proceeds to tilt slightly toward the right, per- Ymitting the relatively 'shiftable portion vof 4the strap to extend into the housing in a plane substantlally' tangent tothe outer surface of the hose at this point. Accordingly the relatively wherein the strap is caused to frictionally engage v the margins of the housing under substantial pressures which set up objectionable bends in the strap and impart a resistance to tightening h l- I Y e n 2,352,971 thereof'. In this connection it isfextremely. im-

por'tantto note that irrespective vof the operative degree ,-of'tilting of the housingthe strap does not encounter edges,l thereof. As tilting pro- Y gresses the strap Yembeols itself to some? extent within the yielc'lablev surface ofthe hose, thus 'always providing suflicient clearance between the lower margins` of .the wallsr andI 2li,V causing the strap to 'extend freely therebeneath, sub.

stantially inthe plane of .the upper surfacesof wall sections 20and 272. Itwill, beunderstood 1 thatwhilethe embodiment shown in thedrawlng ,is' more orl :less diagrammatio', thepartswill be so constructed and arranged as to-provide suf'- -flcient rfclearance, for permitting. the aforesaid section of the strap-to pass in afsubstantially v straight line into 4the housing'and across thetop surface of4 the wallsection 22.

It is Afurthermorel important tonote thatfthe concentration of the reactionary stresses just ber` neath the wall section 22.-resultsin intense vcompression of theV hose material atv'this point thus Aresisting,advancement orl creepage ofthev hose wally toward'I this region under the. iniiuence of tightening forces and resisting accumulation orY material crimping at this point. So, also, tilting at the aforesaid point tends 'to rotatably draw thevflxed `end,v ofthe strap increasingly about they work urging it v'slightly to the right so' asl to distribute the clamping forces uniformly aboutvv its circumferen'ces. e

The present invention provides a clamping device inwhich relatively great tension may beset up in a continuous band to assure permanent' freedom from leakageinv the hose or other instrumentality. It is further signicant to note that in accordance with the presentinvention` tendency for loosening is eliminated by virtue of the fact that the partsfare in operative position subject to the yieldable and frictional effects of the gripping member 40. In short,Y itfhas been found` that the characteristic engagement of the' parts is such that a firm yieldable tension is appliedtending to resist retrograde rotation of the fastener shank 28 and while I have disclosedk means v34 adapted to receive a wire or othery member which may be secured to the housingand thus positively holdA the fastener against rotation, it has been found that for general purposes such a structure is unnecessary.

The tilting effect has the further advantage of permittinga more positive engagement of the extremity 46 of the strap to the housing. Innormal practice the strap possesses sufficient length to embrace a wide variety of hose sizes:V

and to ypermit initial application is indicated in Fig. 3. The excess material of the strap may be severed byany suitable means, leaving a short section protruding as indicated in Fig; 2. the tiltingv progresses the wall section 20 lifts- -from the surface of the hosey whereby the pro truding extremity of the strap may be foldedv about the outer margin of the Wall section 20 and `caused to rest against the inner surfaces of ther wall section. This additional embracing portion thus causes the end of the strap .to fur-v proportion "ofi weight as compared -:with those constructions with which I have been hitherto familiar.. lThe double rear wall formed Vbythe lwall sections 24' to' 26 possesses a. cross section adaptedto adequately-su'pportthe screw shank andrresist the stresses set up fwhen the" device is tightened.` .The stress concentrated at this point is relievedin such a man'ner'las tol permit theuse of lighter stock without'impairing inv any measceivethe free end' ofthe band Vto be clamped; said horizontal wall having :a'jsefctionf adjacent said 'e housing. being cut away atjthe line aperture against which the tensionedrend'o'f'the Aband exerts a tilting action, the heelfof" the 'of 'junction aperture.for'straightflin mov n sioned end of said band Yunder the p ul tensioning means'. il f 2'. A hose clampy comprising a band,` mean coupled with said band at one end for tensioning y theband about a hose; a housing having a vertical wall in'wh'ich said tensioning means is shift- `ably4 mounted and a horizontal wall to provide a band clamping section having anraperture to receive a free end of the band to be clamped and af section adjacent said/aperturel against which the tensioned end of the band exerts a tilting action, and side walls connecting said Yvertical and horizontal walls, the heel of the housing being cut away at the line of junction of its walls toQform an aperture for straight line movement of the tensioned'end of said band under the pull of said tensioning means.

3. A khose clamp. comprising a band, means coupled with said band at one end for tensioning 'the band about a hose, a housing having a relatively thick vertical wall in which said tensioning means is shiftably mounted and a horizontal wall tok provide a band clamping section having an aperture to receive a free end of the band to be clamped and a section adjacent said aperture against which the tensioned end of the band exerts a tilting action, and side walls connectingv said vertical and horizontal walls, the heel of the housing being cut away at the line ofl junction of its walls to rform an aperture for straight line movement of the tensioned end of said band under the pull' of saldtensioning means.

4v. A hose clamp comprising a band, means i coupled with saidr band at one end for tensioning ther grip the housing providing a more positive assurance of permanence andresistance to separation. This construction further results in the advantageous elimination of `sharp projecting edges. n The housing unitconstructed in accordance with the present invention is particularly important in constructions adapted for aircraft engines', in view of the elimination* of a considerable the band about a hose, a housing having a multi- `ply relatively thick vertical wall in` which said tensioning means is 'shiftably mounted and a horizontal wall to provide a band clamping sec- I tion having an aperture to receive a free end of the band to be clamped and a section adjacent said aperture against which the tensioned end of` the'band exerts a tilting action, and side walls connecting said vertical and horizontal walls, the heel of the housing being cut away at the line H,of junction of its walls to form an aperture for straight line movement of the tensioned end of saidl band under the pull lof said `tensioning tensioning the band abouta hose, a'liousing hav'- .l

ing a vertical wall in which said'tensionin'g screw is shiftably mounted and a horizontal wall to provide a band clamping section having an aperture to receive the free end of the band tov-be clamped and a section adjacent said aperture against which the tensioned end o i the band exerts a tilting action, the heel of the housing being cut away at the line oi Junction of its vertical and horizontal walls to form anaperture for straight line movement o! the tensioned enclv o! the band under the pull of said tensioning screw;V 8. A. hose clamp comprising'aband, a downwardly inclined tensioning screw coupled to said band at one end for tensioning the band' about `a hose, a housing having a vertical wall in which 'housing being cut away at the line oi Junction or its vertical and horizontal walls to form an aper- Y vture ioxstraight line movementof'rthe tensioned pullof said tension- ,o

end of the band under Ythe ing screw.`

Y movement of a band therethrough.

8. A frame member for hose clamps having a vertical wall providedwith an aperturel for ya tensioning screw, a horizontal wall'adapted to'sup- Vporta band and having a bandl 'receiving aperture therein, said frame being 4cutiaw'ay Aatthe line o! junction o! said vertical and horizontal wallsto provideyan aperture tor straightline movement of a band therethrough, and sidewalls connecting said vertical and horizontal walls. -v

f -9. A frame member for hose clamps having s.

multi-ply relatively thick vertical wall'provided `with an aperture for a tensioning screw, a horif w. PaocHAsKle 

